Incoming Storm
by sheridangraham0
Summary: All human. Being an Elite Undercover Detective is hard, but it is even harder when you love your enemy. Leader of an Elite group of Detectives, Elijah finds himself falling in love with one of the criminals he is hunting without even knowing it. Will he spare Hayley, or will he do his job and send her to jail?
1. Chapter 1

**Thank you to all of those who read my stories, recommend them to others, review, favourite and follow. I appreciate every single one of you and I wouldn't still be writing without you guys. I'd also like to personally thank the guest reader who gave me the idea for this story as I think it is golden and I am going to enjoy writing it. I hope you enjoy this new story, thanks again everyone!**

 **P.S. I would imagine Dexter to look like Richard Madden.**

-/-/-/-/-

New York city. A beautiful city full of all different kinds of cultures and people. New York is one of the worlds top places to visit and is the third most populated state in the United States of America. And one of those people populating the city is twenty-six year old, Hayley Marshall, who is currently about to rob a bank with her small group of companions. There is only five of them in total, but they are a very efficient group and are no newbies to heists.

Hayley turns from her seat in the passenger seat of the black van and watches her crew. Oliver is pulling up any data he will need to hack the bank systems on his computer screens. Rebekah is adjusting her all black attire, tucking her black vest top firmly into her pants and zipping up her black jacket. Jackson is redoing his shoe laces, probably for the fifth time and their leader, Dexter, is reloading his pistols.

Nobody remembers how Dexter became their leader. All Hayley remembers is her and the crew being tied down by the police six years ago in Texas, no where to hide and no where to run, and it was Dexter who saved them. He pulled out two pistols, the exact two he has attached to his belt right now and he didn't stop shooting until he had killed every last one of the coppers.

Hayley hates to compliment him on it because he really doesn't need his ego boosting, but he is one hell of a shot.

Everyone here has a job to do, everyone has something that they are an expert at. Oliver is a pro with computers and hacking, he can hack pretty much any security system in any environment. Despite Rebekah's blonde bimbo appearance, she is a brilliant driver and has gotten them out of many sticky situations. Jackson is a combination cracker, he can open almost any safe you put in front of him, big or small. And as you may have already guessed, Dexter is their gun man. As for Hayley, she just does whatever the hell she is told to do.

Dexter spins his pistols on his fingers and pushes them into the slots attached to his belt. He runs his hand through his dark brown hair, making sure it is perfectly in place, before he pulls his balaclava over his head. Jackson looks up at Dexter and then looks over at Hayley, nodding to her before he also pulls his balaclava over his head. Rebekah quickly grabs her balaclava and pulls it over her head, making sure her hair is not showing.

Dexter looks around at his crew and smirks to himself; this hit will be a good one, he can sense it.

"Let's go" he says and opens the back on the van slightly before hopping out.

Rebekah grabs a submachine gun off the rack on the wall and quickly follows after Dexter. Jackson also grabs a submachine gun and goes for the door. He turns as he reaches the door and looks at Hayley. He picks up her balaclava off Oliver's table and tosses it to her before he jumps out of the back of the van. Hayley sighs and quickly pulls the balaclava over her head, tucking her hair in before she jumps up and grabs three black duffel bags.

Today, she is the bag lady.

Hayley jumps out of the back of the van and shuts the door behind her. She clicks the switch on her earpiece, turning her coms on as she walks through the glass doors of the bank, bags flung over the shoulder. She walks past Rebekah, who is keeping three workers and four civilians at gunpoint in a janitor's closet. She nods to Rebekah as she passes her and Rebekah nods back.

She slides over the counter and goes through the door leading into the back room. She walks past several metal doors until she reaches one that is open. She walks through the room, through the next open door and sees Dexter and Jackson at the end of the corridor to the left. Dexter looks up as she enters the corridor and starts to walk towards her.

"Make sure you get everything out of the safe" he says as he passes her, on his way back to help Rebekah tie everyone up.

"You got it" Hayley replies.

Hayley drops the bags next to Jackson and crouches. Jackson doesn't acknowledge her, he has his eyes closed and is in his focus zone. He probably won't even speak to her until the safe is open. He just needs to crack the bottom lock and they're in.

Suddenly, there is a loud clicking sound and Jackson moves his ear away from the safe. He nods to Hayley and they stand up so Jackson can open the door. He opens it and Hayley grabs two bags, leaving Jackson to enter the safe with the remaining bag in one hand and his gun in the other.

They drop the three bags on the silver table in the middle of the room. Hayley looks around at the small boxes all around the room which contain the money they are about to steal while she puts her gloves on. Jackson also puts his gloves on and starts on one wall, ripping the boxes from the wall and tipping the contents into the first duffel bag. Hayley starts on the other wall opposite of Jackson as quickly as she can.

Rebekah enters the room and immediately puts her gun down on the table. She pulls her gloves out of her pocket and yanks them on before starting on the wall in between Hayley and Jackson. With three of them doing it they will get the job done twice as fast.

Jackson finishes with his wall and empties the contents of last box into his bag. He looks up, checking on both women before throwing the bag over his shoulder and grabbing his gun. He leaves the room just as Hayley finishes her wall. Hayley zips up her bag and looks at Rebekah, who is still filling the last bag. She stays and helps Rebekah with the last few boxes before they both grab their bags and make their way down the corridor to regroup.

Just as they reach the end of the corridor a gunshot goes off. They both freeze and look at each other for a few seconds before they break into a run. They run into the lobby of the bank to see Dexter stood over one of the staff members, his gun pointing down at the dead man's head. On the man's chest there is a name tag that reads 'Manager'.

Dexter looks up at the people who are now tied up and are about to be locked in the closet. He puts his gun back into his belt and steps over the dead manager's body. He slowly walks up to the door and shuts up. He then pulls a lock from his pocket and seals the door before he turns around to his crew to find them all staring at either him, or the dead man.

It's been a long time since they have had to kill anyone on one of their heists.

"He tried to be a hero and it cost him his life" Dexter says and leaves the bank, making it very clear that he is not willing to say anymore about the matter.

Nobody says anything. Jackson follows Dexter immediately and so does Rebekah, but Hayley does not. She stares down at the manager and sighs, this is one part of her life that she does not like... the killing. She has never killed anyone in her entire seven years of heists, but watching everyone else kill takes its toll on her.

"Police inbound. Should be arriving in ten minutes, Hayley, where are you?" Oliver says over coms.

"Coming" Hayley says and quickly runs out of the bank.

Hayley dives into the back of the van just as police sirens start to echo through the air. The second Dexter shuts the door, Rebekah steps on it, sending the van flying forwards onto the road. Hayley drops her bag next to the other two and pulls off her balaclava before sitting down on a been bag next to Jackson.

Jackson nudges her with his shoulder and she looks up at him to see him smiling. She smiles back and nudges him back with her elbow before she lies her head on his shoulder. She has always seen him as a big brother of sorts, despite there only being one year between them and his obvious crush on her which has been going on since high school.

She suddenly catches Dexter looking at her from the passenger seat. He doesn't look too happy with her. He is probably annoyed that she took longer to leave the bank than she should have done. She knows he won't say anything to her about it though, he will just give her one of his looks, letting her know he expects better without saying it.

Dexter finally looks away and Hayley rolls her eyes. She doesn't see why he is mentally complaining at her, they got away so there isn't a problem. They did everything correct and they did it in perfect time. For once, literally everything went to plan. Another heist well pulled off. And another share of the money to add to her piggy bank. She will definitely be going back to the shop tomorrow and buying those Valentino heels she wanted.

Meanwhile back at the bank, a sleek, black Audi S8 comes screeching to a halt behind the row of police cars. The driver door opens and out steps Elijah Mikaelson, leader of Storm Team, a group of undercover Elite's, hand chosen by him. Only the best of the best are part of Storm and that is why the group of them is so small.

Klaus Morgan, Elijah's secondary, steps out of the passenger door, following behind Elijah quickly. He was the first to be taken on by Elijah to join Storm Team and despite the increasingly long hours, he loves his job more than anything. It gives him almost no time at all to have an actually life of his own with the constant flying abroad and all of the undercover work, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

They step onto the crime scene and have everyone staring at them instantly. Which isn't surprising when they are wearing thousand dollar suits, hand-made in Italy by one of the best tailors in the world. They get looks wherever they go, by now they are use to it. They are the smartest looking men here and may just be the smartest looking in all of New York if someone had a minute to scan around the city.

A policeman starts to approach them and is about to speak, but stops when Elijah flashes his badge. The man has no idea who they are of course because Storm is a secret team that only the highest ranking of people know about. All he will have been told is that when he sees the badge he is to let them through without any questions. And that is what the policeman does. He steps aside and lets them pass.

Elijah stops at the dead body of the bank manager. He crouches down by the man's head and looks at the angle of the shot. It was close range and it was an instant kill, probably quite painless as well. The smell of a freshly fired weapon is still in the air which means they only just missed the culprits. Elijah clenches his teeth together in slight frustration. If only they were here ten minutes earlier they would of had them. Elijah then stands again and makes his way to the safe, Klaus continuing to follow his bosses every move.

They enter the room where the money was being held to see the boxes all over the floor. Elijah steps over the evidence and stops when he is stood right next to the table in the middle of the room. Klaus decides to remain in the doorway, watching his boss look around the room, looking for any clues.

Elijah sighs and scratches his chin before he leans back against the table. He has been tracking this particular group of criminals for nearly a year now and he keeps getting closer and closer. But no matter how close he gets, he can still never seem to catch them.

"Am I an idiot?" Elijah asks, looking down at the floor.

"Pardon, sir?" He says in his thick British accent, unsure if he is being asked a genuine question.

"Am I an idiot, Morgan?" Elijah repeats.

Klaus shakes his head.

"Of course not, sir" he says, wondering what his boss is getting at.

Elijah strokes his stubble and looks around the room again.

"Well, I must be because I continue to be outsmarted by this gang of criminals" Elijah says, looking at Klaus.

Klaus shakes his head.

"Believe me, sir, stupid is not a word to be associated with you" Klaus says.

Elijah smirks and makes his way over to Klaus. He pats Klaus on the shoulder and then gives his shoulder a light squeeze before he moves past him. Klaus smiles to himself, he likes to please his boss. Besides, he is only telling Elijah the truth. He is anything but stupid. Klaus turns around and follows Elijah again as they head for the exit of the bank.

"Get anyone who isn't Storm out of here. This investigation is ours, any Chief of police in the states should know that by now" Elijah says as they walk into the lobby.

"Anything else you want me to do?" Klaus asks, stopping near the dead manager's body.

They both look down at the body.

"I'll send Gerard and Martel here to assist you. Make sure you collect all evidence and camera footage if there is any. I'll see you back at base, Morgan" Elijah says and leaves.

Elijah wastes no time, he walks over to his Audi S8 and jumps in. He starts the car and taps the word 'phone' on the dashboard. He then clicks on the 'contacts' option and scrolls down until he finds Tristan's name. He clicks it and sits back in his seat as the ringing sound comes through the cars speakers.

"Hello?" Tristan answers.

"Martel, I need you and Gerard here now, I'll patch over the coordinates" Elijah says as he pulls his phone out of his inside blazer pocket.

Elijah clicks on his message app and sends Tristan the postcode for the bank. He then locks his phone and puts his phone back into the inside pocket of his blazer.

"Coordinates are coming through now, sir. We will be down there right away. Is that all?" Tristan asks.

"For now" Elijah says.

"We'll get them this time, sir" Tristan says, knowing his boss is annoyed about not catching them again.

Elijah looks out of his window and sighs.

"Hopefully" Elijah says, quietly. He then adds, "tell Voelkel to be ready to go through the CCTV footage. I will be there shortly to help her."

"Yes, sir. I'll see you soon" Tristan says and hangs up.

Elijah rubs his eyes and continues to look out of his window. This time he is determined to get them and bring them to justice. He has been chasing this gang of thieves for long enough and there are bigger, badder men out there that he should be focusing on. And dashing around America hunting these guys really isn't doing the wheels on his Audi any good, so the sooner they catch them, the better.


	2. Chapter 2

Rebekah drives the van down a small, narrow path leading to behind the abandoned warehouse where they plan their heists. None of them actually live here accept Dexter, they just like to come here to hang out. But on occasion after a well pulled off heist, if they all get too drunk, they end up staying the night here. And with Dexter recently converting the top floor of offices into bedrooms, there is plenty of room for everyone.

She parks the car and they all hop out of the van. Dexter, Jackson and Hayley grab the duffel bags which are filled to the top with money. Dexter smiles as he looks down at the bag he is carrying. He has just made more money by robbing a bank than most people do in a year of working hard.

Oliver runs ahead to catch up with Rebekah, the balaclavas in his hand. Hayley trails behind them. Usually she would be up front with Rebekah and Dexter, buzzing about their latest hit and excited about the money she was going to spend on her next shopping spree. But not today. She doesn't know why, but seeing the manager of the bank lay dead on the floor did something to her. It has made her feel something that she can't seem to describe.

Hayley has seen Dexter kill countless times. She has seen him kill people with his bare fists. She has seen Rebekah and Jackson kill people, of course, Jackson was a bit more hesitant than Rebekah to kill, but he still did it. And Oliver, well, he seems to be taking more after Dexter than he is his cousin. But for some reason, this time felt different. Maybe it feels different because no one has had to die on their heists for quite a long time. Or maybe it feels different because the manager did not have to die at all.

She enters the warehouse with the others, walking through the double, metal doors at the same time as Dexter. She expects him to say something to her, but he does not. He walks ahead of her again once they have passed through the doors, catching up to Jackson and walking beside him.

Oliver hits the button for the elevator to come down to them and they all wait patiently, in silence. Hayley looks around the old, rusty room that was probably once a storage room of some kind. There is a door leading to another smaller room over by the stairs, they could take the stairs but they never do. There's a pile of broken sewing machines in the corner by the door, a neat line of working sewing machines on the wooden table on the left side of the room.

The elevator arrives and everyone climbs on. It is a bit stuffy with five of them being in the small space along with the three big bags, but no one complains. They are use to this by now. They always use the elevator because they are all too lazy to use the stairs to climb up to the third floor.

The elevator stops and the doors open, Dexter is the first one off, excited to get his share of the money. Jackson and Oliver follow him, Oliver saying something to his cousin about what he is going to spend his share of the money on. Rebekah walks beside Hayley, she can sense something is wrong with her friend.

"You're being awfully quiet, what's up?" Rebekah asks.

"Nothing. Just tired I think" Hayley replies, looking down.

She doesn't want to talk about her feelings because she honestly has no idea what she is feeling. She can't find the right words to express how she is feeling right now, so she will let it slide.

The boys speed walk down the long corridor to what they call the home room. It is the biggest room on this floor and it is right at the other end of the corridor. The girls do not pick up their pace to join them, they continue their stroll down the corridor.

"I think we need a girls night out" Rebekah says, pushing her hands into her jacket pockets.

Hayley smiles.

"We haven't been out for ages, I'm starting to get withdrawal symptoms" Rebekah says and Hayley laughs.

"Okay, we'll go out" Hayley agrees.

Rebekah smiles.

"Brilliant! We'll get our share of the money, go home and get dressed and hit the town" she says, excited.

"Tonight? But I don't have anything to wear" Hayley says and the blonde rolls her eyes.

"You always say that and then you come out looking like a goddess. Trust me, Hayley, you will find something, you always do. And anyways, it's only four, the shops don't shut until either, we have plenty of time to get new dresses." Hayley nods, her friend is right.

"Let's do that then" Hayley says. "We'll go shopping and get some new stuff for tonight."

Rebekah makes a strange high pitched sound, it sounds a bit like she is squealing.

"I can't bloody wait!" She says and opens the door to the home room.

Hayley walks through the door and immediately sees Jackson tipping his bag upside down over the large wooden table in the middle of the room. The money pours out of the bag and Dexter and Oliver smile, Oliver rubbing his hands together. Hayley and Rebekah walk past the door leading to the kitchen on their right and join the boys at the table.

Jackson drops his duffel bag on the floor once it is empty and then Dexter picks up his bag. He does the same as what Jackson just did and they all watch as the money flows from the bag onto the table. This time they definitely got a big hit. There is probably over $100,000 sat on the table right now, and Hayley hasn't even tipped her bag out yet.

Dexter finishes emptying his bag and they all turn to Hayley. She lifts her bag up and tips it upside down, and the money falls out. She watches as the dollar bills fall onto the table, joining their collection. Once all of the money is out of her bag, she drops the bag on the floor and looks at Dexter. Their job is done. Now, it is down to Dexter to count it and split it into shares.

Hayley walks over to the corner couch that is in the right corner of the room, with the coffee table and the 52' inch TV in front of it. She plops herself down right in the corner and snuggles in. Jackson slowly makes his way over to her, hands in the pockets of his black heist pants.

He walks around the TV, around the coffee table and then sits down right next to her. He sits back into the couch, unzips his jacket and folds his arms across his chest. His thigh is touching hers and Hayley can feel how warm he is. It's comforting and even though she will probably never feel the same way about him as he does her, she likes it.

Jackson leans closer to Hayley, closer to her ear and says, "I'm glad the money couching isn't down to Oliver, or else we would have nothing."

Hayley smiles.

"You're right about that one" she says.

They stay silent for a few minutes, watching Dexter count the money into five piles. Rebekah is stood next to him on her phone, probably texting one of her potential boyfriends about hitting the clubs tonight. Oliver is stood on the other side of Dexter, watching him count out the money closely.

"What are you doing tonight then?" Jackson asks.

"Me and Rebekah are going out" she replies.

"Anywhere nice?" He asks, curiously.

"We're going on a girls night out. We'll probably end up at our usual club and then back at mine" Hayley tells him.

Jackson looks down at his hands on his lap.

"Will you be too hung over to get a coffee tomorrow?" He asks, seemingly nervous.

Hayley smiles.

"I hope not" she says. "I'll text you tomorrow and let you know."

Jackson looks at her and smiles. She knows he has only invited her for a coffee tomorrow so he can ask all about her night out and ask whether she met any boys, but he is her friend and she likes spending time with him. Even if he does mostly just invites her out so he can try to slip himself past the friend zone.

He has managed to slip past the friend zone once before at a party. They were both drunk and they had been dancing and talking and laughing together all night. They weren't even meant to be at the party, they were meant to be there to check out the guy's safe for their next heist. But they ended up staying awhile. Soon enough, Hayley was ready to leave, it was half three in the morning and she could barely walk she was that drunk. She needed her bed. Jackson begged her to stay, he even stood in front of the door at one point and tried to prevent her from leaving, but eventually he let her go.

Hayley arrived home and curled up on her couch. She clicked the DVD button on her TV remote and Bridget Jones' Diary came on, one of her all time favourites. She planned to watch Bridget Jones and then get into bed, but just twenty minutes into the film there was a knock at the door. Hayley was going to ignore it, but then there was a second knock. She got up and answered the door to see a very drunk Jackson swaying in her doorway. She was going to invite him in and phone him a taxi, or let him sleep on the couch, but before she could speak he threw himself at her.

Jackson's lips collided with hers in what was a very sloppy and strange, drunken kiss. Her drunken mind told her to go for it, but she knew that would be the worst thing she could ever do. She would never lead Jackson on because he was her friend and she would never purposely hurt her friend. So, she pushed him away. He looked like he was hurt from just that alone, so she pulled him in for a hug.

Hayley told him he was drunk and he wasn't thinking about what he was doing. He told her he knew exactly what he was doing because he had wanted to do it all of his life. She already knew that. She had figured he had a crush on her when she got a mystery Valentines Day card back in high school. The writing was identical to Jackson's, but she never told him she knew it was him who sent it. She didn't want to embarrasses him. But this time it was different, he was saying everything he felt to her instead of in a card.

Hayley simply lead him to the couch, pressed play on the remote and left him to watch Bridget Jones. She got a blanket from her room and came back to find him fast asleep. She smiled and covered him with the blanket before taking herself to bed. Since then, Hayley has never given Jackson the chance to get close enough to kiss her again. It sounds unfair, but she is doing this for him.

Meanwhile on the other side of New York, Elijah walks out of his office with Freya Voelkel. She may be the oldest on his team, but she is definitely one of the best. He hired her right after he hired Klaus and he was over the moon when he saw just how good she was. He had been told that if he wanted a computer genius that she was what he was looking for, but he had never seen her in action. He had seen Klaus in action when he hired him and he knew what skills Klaus had, with Freya he knew nothing. But she soon impressed him on the first operation together.

After a good few hours of going over every bit of CCTV they have so far from the bank together, they still have nothing. Elijah hadn't expected to find anything anyway. If he has learnt one thing during his years leading Storm, it is that nothing is ever as easy as it seems. And the thought of them leaving behind any clues on the CCTV footage was just far too easy.

Elijah opens the door for Freya and she mutters a 'thank you' as she passes him.

"Got anything special planned for tonight, sir?" Freya asks, trying to take his mind off the case.

"No, unfortunately not. What about you?" Elijah returns the question.

Freya smiles. "Me and Keelin are going to the cinemas."

Elijah has only met Keelin once, but he likes her. Elijah likes to protect his team, whether it be from an old enemy in the field, or something in their personal lives. He can see how much Keelin loves Freya by the way he has seen her look at her, therefore Keelin is a good person in his eyes.

"That sounds nice" Elijah comments.

"We've been together for three years tomorrow. I can't believe it" Freya says as they start to descend the stairs leading to the main exit.

"Yes, it does seem like only yesterday that you came into the office, dying to tell us all of your filthy shenanigans the night before" Elijah jokes and Freya laughs.

"I did only plan for her to be a one night stand, but things changed" Freya says, smiling.

Elijah smiles too.

"I'm surprised you found someone who will put up with all of the working away we do and all of the overtime" Elijah says.

"As am I. I never planned to settle down because I knew what being part of Storm meant, but I'm glad I found Keelin" Freya admits. "Do you think you will ever settle down?"

Elijah sighs and opens the main door for Freya and they walk into the underground parking lot.

He isn't sure how to answer her. He has always imagined that by his age he would be married, possibly have a child, or have one on the way. But here he is at thirty-one with none of that. He has the occasional date whenever he has time, but recently he hasn't found it in him to put in the effort.

He will find someone when the time is right.

"Hopefully. If I ever have the time" he replies finally.

"I hope you find someone, you're a real catch when you aren't ordering us about" Freya jokes.

Elijah chuckles and stops next to his car. Freya continues walking to her car, it is parked three spaces away from Elijah.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Elijah" Freya calls to him.

"Have a good night, Freya" He calls back.

Elijah unlocks his Audi and climbs into the drivers seat. He pulls his black tie slack around his neck and opens the top button of his shirt. It has been another rough day and tomorrow won't be any better from what The Company told him today. The Company being the association he works for. Tomorrow he will have to sit through two hour long meetings, one with the leader of The Company himself, Vincent Griffin, and then one with one of the less elite teams hired by The Company.

Then he will no doubt have to go through all of the evidence with Marcel even though they won't find anything. No matter how hard they look, Elijah knows they won't find anything. And there is still one last set of CCTV footage that needs to be reviewed tomorrow as well. Tomorrow will be another hard day, but as always he will get through it.

Elijah starts the car engine as Freya drives past him towards the exit in her two door BMW M3. Suddenly, his dashboard lights up and Marcel's name flashes on the dashboard. Elijah debates on whether he should answer the call or not, but considering it could be something important towards the case, he answers.

"Gerard?" Elijah answers.

"Hey, sir. So, just phoning to let you know we sent all the evidence in so we can go through it tomorrow" Marcel says.

"Thank you, that's good to know" Elijah says, driving towards the exit.

"And also me and Klaus are going out tonight, we wanted to know if you're in" Marcel says.

Elijah rolls his eyes, it's typical that they would want to go out drinking on a weekday.

"As you both know, I can not afford to be out drinking on a weekday" Elijah says.

"Come on, Elijah, just one beer" Marcel says.

Elijah stops at the parking lot door and waits for it to open for him. It soon does and he drives straight out, making a right into the road.

"Have fun tonight" Elijah says, about to end the call.

"We were going to go out and discuss the case" Marcel quickly says. "We think we know what bank they might hit next, that's if they stay in town, which we think they will."

Elijah sighs. He has been won over.

"Where should I meet you?" Elijah asks, hearing Marcel and Klaus high five on the other side of the phone.

"Ceilo, we're going to have to get there soon though. Once that place is packed it takes ages to get in" Marcel says.

"Don't worry about it, I'll phone ahead and get us into the VIP lounge" Elijah says.

"The perks of the job ayy" Marcel says, Elijah can tell he is smiling.

"Indeed, Marcel. Also the perks of saving the club owner's life" he says.

Marcel laughs down the phone.

"I'll go and let you sort it out then. See you soon, boss" Marcel says and hangs up.

Elijah sighs and pulls his phone out of his pocket as he stops at a red light. He pulls up the number for Ceilo's owner and clicks call. The ringing sound echos through the car and he knows that this is a mistake. He knows what Marcel and Klaus are like, especially when they are together. They will drink the bar dry, whether they have work tomorrow or not.

Elijah knows he should let them go and just ask about their prediction on where the gang will next hit tomorrow, but he wants to know right now. He wants to be closer to catching the gang and if that means going out and having a few drinks with his team mates, then that is what he will do.


	3. Chapter 3

Elijah sighs and pulls his tie from around his neck before opening the top button on his shirt. He has been sat outside Ceilo night club for fifteen minutes now waiting for Klaus and Marcel to arrive. He still doesn't feel like spending the night in a night club, but he wants to hear this theory that Klaus and Marcel have come up with. Hopefully it will be something useful to the case. Elijah is ready to move on from this gang of robbers, but he won't move on without catching them.

Elijah's phone vibrates in his pocket and he pulls it out. There is a message off Klaus displaying, it says 'We're nearly there'. Elijah slides his screen and types in his phone code. 457792. He then opens the message from Klaus and replies saying 'I'll be waiting inside. Tell the doorman you're with Mr Mikaelson'. Elijah then locks his phone and puts it back in his pocket before he sighs again and opens his car door.

He steps out of his Audi and fastens one button on his blazer, the top button out of the two there. He shuts his car door and walks around the front of it, clicking the keys to lock the car as he does. He looks at the massive line of people waiting to get in and one girl catches his eye. A brunette in a very short, silver dress. She is obviously looking him up and down and when she reaches his eyes, she winks. He does not wink back. Something about her doesn't quite pull him in enough for him to return the wink.

Elijah walks straight up to the doorman, not bothering to stop so he can check for his name on his list. They all know to just let him pass and avoid questioning him.

The doorman opens the door for Elijah.

"Have a good night, Mr Mikaelson" he says as Elijah walks past him.

Elijah walks past the booths on his left and the dance floor on his right, making his way towards the stairs in front of the downstairs bar. He walks around all of the people crowding around tables, or standing around waiting for a space on the dance floor to become available to the bottom of the stairs. There is a red rope going across the bottom of the stairs, closing off the VIP section upstairs and two tall security guards.

The second one of the security guards spots Elijah he moves the rope, clearing the path for Elijah. He also puts on his best attempt at a welcoming smile, which doesn't look that impressive to Elijah. Still, at least he is trying.

"Good to see you, Mr Mikaelson" the guard says.

"You too" Elijah says, having no idea if he knows this guard, or not.

Elijah walks straight up the stairs and stops when he arrives at the top. There are booths, or tables big enough for four, or five all around the top floor, a bar on the far right hand side of the floor, right next to the railings looking over downstairs. A dance floor in the middle of the room with a few couples twirling each other around in circles. There is a door to the outside area in the far left corner as well, Elijah hopes that they have not been seated outside.

Luckily they have not. He spots his name on a card on one of the booths and heads towards it. He takes a seat in the booth and opens the button on his blazer. One of the barmen sees him and quickly speed walks over to the booth Elijah is in. He slams on the breaks as he reaches the booth and gives Elijah his most charming smile.

"Hello, sir. What can I get for you tonight?" The barman asks.

"A bourbon, please" Elijah replies.

The barman smiles and nods.

"Coming right up, sir" he tells Elijah and runs back to the bar.

Elijah looks around the room and spots Klaus stood by the stairs. He is in some fancy black trainers, tight black jeans and a black top that says 'Gucci' across it in green and red. Marcel then appears wearing some sandy coloured Timberlands, black jeans that are ripped at the knees and a black polo Ralph Lauren shirt.

They spot him and start walking over. Elijah slides around the booth slightly and gives them a half smile as they reach him. Marcel sits on his left and Klaus sits on his right.

"It's packed in here tonight" Marcel comments as moves to get himself comfy.

"Makes it harder to find a girl to cop off with" Klaus says, smirking.

Elijah smiles and Marcel laughs.

"Shall we get to business then?" Elijah asks, looking between the pair.

"All work, no play" Klaus says, looking at Marcel and nodding to Elijah.

Marcel looks down and chuckles.

"You can go off and play once the business is out of the way, Klaus" Elijah says.

Klaus nods.

"Alright, you start" Klaus says to Marcel.

Marcel clears his throat and moves a bit closer to Elijah so he doesn't have to talk too loudly.

"We think they are going to stay in town and hit a few more banks before they move on again. I mean, come on, this is New York, there's got to be over 200 banks, or something here. That kind of opportunity will be impossible for them to miss" Marcel explains.

"You're probably correct" Elijah comments.

"Also, we think we might know which bank they are going to hit" Klaus says and Elijah turns to him.

"Which?" Elijah asks.

"The Atlantic Bank has got a large sum of money coming in from one of it's customers in two months time. Yes, it is a long wait and there is no saying that they won't do some smaller hits in the meantime, but I don't think they will want to miss out on that hit" Klaus says.

"How much is this customer putting in?" Elijah asks.

"$550,000" Klaus says.

Elijah opens his eyes in shock and shakes his head.

"I can see why you think they would be interested" Elijah says and Klaus smiles.

"Well, I know if I was a thief, I would be going for that" Marcel comments.

Klaus nods in agreement.

Elijah sighs and looks at the dance floor. He has to be careful here. Their theory is brilliant and is most likely to be right, but if it is not then getting it wrong could cost them catching the criminals.

"Would you two be willing to work on this?" Elijah asks, referring to their theory.

They both nod.

"Of course" Marcel adds.

"Good. Then that is what you will do" Elijah says.

The barman returns with Elijah's glass of bourbon sat on a tray that he is carrying. He gives Klaus and Marcel the same charming smile he gave to Elijah as he reaches them. He sets Elijah's drink down in front of him and Elijah nods his head to him, a silent thank you.

"Can I get you two anything tonight, gentlemen?" The barman asks Marcel and Klaus.

"A bourbon for me thanks" Klaus answers.

The barman nods and turns to Marcel.

"I'll have a large Vodka and Coke" Marcel says.

The barman nods.

"I'll be right back and sorry about your wait, sir" he says addressing Elijah.

Elijah smiles.

"Don't worry about it" he says, lifting the drink to his lips.

The barman smiles at Elijah and walks back to the bar.

Elijah takes a few sips of his drink before he places it back on the table, ready to continue their discussion.

"During your investigation one of you will need to go undercover as an employee of the bank" Elijah says.

Klaus and Marcel make eye contact for a moment.

"I'll do it" Klaus says.

"I'll have it all cleared with the head of the bank. You will start on Monday" Elijah says, confident he can bend the bank's boss in the right direction.

"What will I be doing?" Marcel asks.

"Helping the bank install additional security and looking more into this theory of yours. I want your first report by the end of next week, containing all facts about the bank and anything they may have planned to do before they hit this bank" Elijah tells Marcel.

"Got it. We've already checked out the blueprints of the bank. Three exits, two fire escapes and over $6,000,000 being stored there right now in safes" Marcel says.

Elijah widens his eyes again in shock.

"Where are the safes kept?" Elijah asks.

"Two floors underground. They would have to go in, secure hostages and get a key card off a member of staff before moving to access the elevator" Marcel replies.

Elijah nods and then takes a quick sip of his drink.

"What happens if they stop at the wrong floor?" Klaus asks Marcel.

"They will be hit with a hell of a lot of gunfire from the security" Marcel says.

The barman returns a second time. He places a bourbon in front of Klaus and a Vodka and Coke in front of Marcel. They thank him and he smiles before he walks over to another booth.

Marcel takes a long sip of his drink.

"Klaus, while you are in there learn all ways to reach the exits. If they make it through and we have no way of getting in then you will most likely be our last hope" Elijah says.

Klaus nods, accepting this lightly despite the importance of the job.

"They will have to kill to pull this one off" Marcel tells them. "Atlantic bank always have at least three, or four guards on the ground floor at all times. Upstairs has a few and then the lower floor has more than any, no idea why it would have more guards than where the money is stored, but it does."

"The floor where the money is kept has no security?" Klaus asks, shocked.

"They might have one man down there, but no one really goes down there except workers so they don't expect that they will need a lot of security down there" Marcel explains.

"Stupid" Klaus comments.

"I'm interested to know what's on the first underground floor that they have so much security protecting" Marcel says, picking up his drink.

"Well, it's not our job to find out" Elijah reminds them.

Klaus takes a quick sip of his bourbon.

"Wouldn't it be interesting to see though?" Marcel asks, curiously.

"Very interesting" Klaus answers.

"What do you think it is?" Marcel asks, smirking.

"Probably a load of priceless diamonds" Klaus says, leaning forwards.

Marcel takes a sip of his drink and Elijah smirks, shaking his head as he looks down.

"I think you'll find it's probably not as intriguing as you think it is" Elijah says.

"You never know, Elijah. It might even be some kind of weapon, or something the government have asked them to look after" Klaus says, very aware of how dramatic he is being.

Elijah chuckles and Marcel laughs.

"They have better places to hide that kind of shit then New York" Marcel says.

Elijah nods in agreement and brings his glass to his mouth. He takes a sip and enjoys the slight sting as the alcohol slips down his throat. He knows that Klaus wants to go and scout around for any women who might take a liking to him. Hopefully, he will still turn up for work early if he does manage to take a girl home.

Klaus downs his drink and slams it down on the table.

"Are we done here then, Elijah?" Klaus asks.

Elijah smiles at him.

"Yes, you are free" he tells them.

Klaus smirks and rubs his hands together.

"Let's get going then, Marcel" Klaus says and stands up.

Klaus walks towards the door leading to the outside VIP section. Marcel quickly downs his drink and follows after Klaus as fast as he can without running. Elijah chuckles as he watches them go, both go giddy and so eager.

He sighs and relaxes, sitting back in the booth. He swallows the last of his drink and puts the empty glass on the table. He now has the information he wanted and that is all he came for, but he feels like he should stay. Besides, one more drink won't hurt.

Elijah slides out of the booth and makes his way towards the bar across from him. He looks over the railing and down at the people on the dance floor downstairs as he walks to the bar. He spots the girl who winked at him earlier and now that he has had a proper look at her, she doesn't even look old enough to be in here. He hopes that she doesn't spot him.

Luckily enough, he makes it to the bar unseen by the girl.

The barman comes to him straight away, drying a glass ready for him.

"The same again?" The barman asks, smiling.

Elijah returns the smile.

"Yes, please" he says.

The barman pulls a large bottle of bourbon out from under the bar. He pours the right amount into a glass for Elijah and then puts the bottle back under the bar. He then gives Elijah the glass and smiles at him again.

"Thank you" Elijah says and the barman nods to him.

Elijah turns around and walks away from the bar. He stops when he thinks he is an acceptable distant away from the bar and leans his elbows on the railing as he looks down at everybody. 'All Eyes On You' by Meek Mill comes on and he watches a group of girls downstairs start screaming before they run onto the dance floor. On the way onto the dance floor they shove past a wavy, brown haired girl. She turns around, about to say something to them, but stops when her blonde friend pulls on her arm.

The woman is Hayley. And Hayley was about to break the girls neck for running into her so harshly, but Rebekah pulled her back and told her the girl wasn't worth it. Rebekah is right. The girl is not worth it when Hayley has $1500 on her and can buy anything she wants from anywhere she wants tonight.

Elijah sees it all and he cannot seem to drag his eyes away from the fiery brunette that is Hayley. She has a lovely and expensive looking pair of black high heels on, complimented by the beautiful slim fitted, black dress she is wearing. The dress reaches just about her knees and he can't help but let his eyes wonder down to admire her long, thin legs. He brings his eyes back up her body and stops when she turns around again and he sees her face properly.

Elijah's mouth falls open and his grip on his glass tightens just a little. He is speechless. She is stunning. No. She is more than stunning, she is absolutely gorgeous. Even that doesn't suffice. He has no idea how to explain her beauty and he has no idea what to do when her eyes lock with his.

Hayley stares back at Elijah, he knows that now would be the right time to look away, or even better runaway. But he can't do it. Her eyes are two beautiful, emerald diamonds, pulling him in despite how badly he knows he needs to look away. She doesn't look away either, although he isn't sure whether it is because she has caught him staring, or something else.

Rebekah shouts down Hayley's ear, something about going out for a smoke. Hayley nods and doesn't offer to go with her; she doesn't smoke and she doesn't want to. The man upstairs is definitely one of the most handsome men she has ever seen, but she will not admit that to Rebekah when she asks. And if she ever gets the chance to talk to him, she will never admit it to him either.

However, it is highly likely that she will ever get invited into the VIP lounge. And he will probably just invite her up there and ask her to sleep with him. Hayley has more respect for herself than to just jump into a rich man's bed because he asks nicely. So, she looks away and walks towards a newly emptied table.

Elijah follows her with his eyes as she sits down at the table and puts her drink down. She also takes her small bag from off her shoulder and places that in front of the on table. He wants to invite her into the VIP lounge, but he has a feeling she will say no, especially after how she just turned away from him and left it at that. No smile, no nod of the head, no flirtatious eyes, nothing. She gave away nothing. Elijah is not use to this.

Hayley can feel the man's eyes on her back and she is tempted to turn around and look at him again. She decides against it. She found it slightly awkward the first time. Rebekah will be back soon anyway so she can't just leave. This is suppose to be a girls night, she will not let herself be distracted by boys. Hayley nods to herself, no boys... but it is obvious that the man upstairs is not a boy. He is a man.

Hayley shakes her head and looks down. Her decision is final, no boys, or men. That is that.

Elijah downs his drink in one and looks at the woman for a few seconds longer before he goes back to the bar. He will order the same again and go to find his friends. Little does he know that as he disappears, Hayley turns for one last look to find him gone.

Three hours pass. Elijah has been drinking with Klaus and Marcel, and the new group of ladies they met. Elena and her twin, Katherine and their friends, here for their shared birthday party. All of the girls at the table are beautiful, but none are are beautiful as the woman downstairs. Hayley has been drinking, dancing, doing cartwheels in the smoking area, taking shots with strangers, she is having a brilliant night. Bu that doesn't stop her mind from wondering why the man upstairs had been staring at her for so long.

Finally after eight bourbons, Elijah decides what he is going to do. Without telling anyone at the table outside, he stands up and heads for the door. Klaus watches him leave, but he is too wrapped up in one of the twin's friends to care.

Elijah stops at the door leading back inside. The doorman stood there nods to him, Elijah remembers this guy, he is called Kyle.

"Kyle, it's good to see you" Elijah says, holding his hand out.

Kyle smiles and takes his hand.

"Having a good night, Mr Mikaelson?" Kyle asks, his voice deep.

Kyle drops Elijah's hand.

"Very good, thank you. But it is about to get better. I was wondering if you would come with me?" Elijah asks.

Kyle nods and follows Elijah into the building. They walk around the dance floor and over to the railing. Elijah looks over the railing, his left hand in his pocket as he looks for her, hoping she is still here. And she is. He smirks to himself.

Elijah points to Hayley and says, "bring her to me."

Kyle doesn't ask questions, he just nods and makes his way downstairs.

Elijah smiles to himself and makes his way back to his booth. He slides in on one side and quickly sniffs himself to check that he still smells good. He can still smell his cologne, so others must be able to as well. He wants this to go right.

Meanwhile downstairs, Kyle walks up behind Hayley and gently touches her shoulder. She instantly turns around and looks up at him, ready to argue with him. He suddenly understands why Elijah wants this girl to be brought to him.

"Could you come with me please, miss" Kyle says, not really asking.

"Why?" She asks, hostile.

"Mr Mikaelson has requested for you" Kyle answers.

Hayley turns back to Rebekah.

"Who the fuck is Mr Mikaelson?" Rebekah asks.

Hayley shrugs and grabs her back as she stands up.

"I don't know, but I guess I'm gonna find out" she says, routing through her bag.

Hayley pulls her front door key out of her bag and throws it to Rebekah. The blonde catches it.

"Go to mine, I'll see what this guy wants and get a cab back. Try and find my bottle of wine as well while you're there" Hayley tells her friend.

Rebekah nods.

Hayley turns to walk away with Kyle.

"Hayley" Rebekah says, loudly over the music.

Hayley turns back around.

"If he offers money for it, do it" Rebekah says and winks.

Hayley laughs and shakes her head. She then turns back around and follows Kyle to the fancy red rope at the bottom of the stairs. She wants to ask why she has been requested, but at the same time she doesn't. She hopes it is nothing bad. She has had a good night and she does not want anything to ruin it.

Kyle leads her up the stairs and to the left. She is too busy looking at how fancy everything is upstairs to notice who is sat at the booth. Elijah clears his throat and Hayley looks down at him in shock. This she was not expecting.

"I assume you're Mr Mikaelson" Hayley says.

Elijah smiles and holds out his hand.

"Elijah."

She takes his hand and shakes it.

"Hayley."


	4. Chapter 4

"I assume you're Mr Mikaelson" Hayley says.

Elijah smiles and holds out his hand.

"Elijah."

She takes his hand and shakes it.

"Hayley."

Hayley drops her hand back to her side. Elijah nods to the spot in the booth opposite him.

"Have a seat" he says.

Hayley slowly shuffles into the booth and sits down. She is on high alert right now. She shouldn't be because she has had a brilliant night so far with Rebekah and the heist went perfect this morning, well, almost perfect. She shouldn't be as worried as she is, but it isn't everyday a complete stranger calls you over to his VIP booth to sit and talk. Hayley assumes that he hasn't just called her up here to talk, he wants something from her.

Elijah can tell that Hayley is nervous. It is written all over her face, despite how well she is trying to hide it. He has no idea why she is nervous, but he wants to make her feel comfortable. He wants her to know that she has nothing to fear from him, he is off duty and tonight he is just a regular man.

"Can I get you anything before I head back, Mr Mikaelson?" Kyle asks, still stood there.

"I'll have a bourbon please, Kyle" Elijah says. He then looks at Hayley. "Can I get you anything?"

Hayley hesitates. Should she really be accepting a drink off this man? Surely one drink can't hurt.

"I'll have the same." Kyle looks at her, slightly shocked because he has never seen a woman order a bourbon before. Hayley smiles at him and Kyle nods.

"I'll tell the barman. Have a good night, sir" Kyle says.

Elijah nods to Kyle before watching him leave them. He then immediately turns his attention back to Hayley. He was not surprised by her ordering a bourbon. He can tell that she is a strong woman and a drink such as bourbon would fit her perfectly from what he can see.

Hayley looks around the VIP lounge, still slightly shocked that she is up here. She would have never expected to be invited up into the VIP section, purely because most men see her and want to take her home with them. They never bother to bring her upstairs and buy her a few drinks first.

"Have you ever been up here before?" Elijah asks, drawing Hayley's eyes back to him.

Hayley shakes her head.

"No, never" she replies.

"Why's that? I mean, you definitely look as though you could fit in up here" he comments.

Hayley looks down and smiles.

"I guess this just isn't my scene" Hayley says.

Elijah nods and gives her a small smile.

Before Elijah can say anything else, the barman comes over with two bourbons. He places one in front of Elijah and one in front of Hayley before smiling to Elijah and leaving. Elijah picks up his drink and takes a sip from the glass.

Hayley bites her lip as she watches him. He is definitely after more than just a nice drink, but he hasn't made a move yet. Usual by now the rich fool who has sought her out is inviting her back to his house.

"Why did you invite me up here, Elijah?" Hayley asks, bluntly.

Elijah looks at her and puts his glass back down on the table.

"You're the most beautiful woman here. I'm surprised no other man has claimed you for the night" Elijah says.

Hayley raises an eyebrow and smirks.

"You think you've claimed me do you?" She asks, humorously.

Elijah smirks back at her.

"Not just yet... give me time to work my magic" he says and Hayley chuckles.

"I'm not easily impressed" Hayley tells him.

"Neither was I until my eyes came upon you" Elijah says, flirtatiously.

Hayley chuckles again and rolls her eyes. She picks up her drink and takes a rather large sip. She notices that Elijah can't wipe the smirk off his face and it makes her smile.

"What's brought you here tonight anyway?" Elijah asks.

"Pay day, what about you?" Hayley responds.

"A business thing" Elijah says.

"What do you do?" Hayley asks before taking another sip of her drink.

Elijah considers telling her the truth, but quickly pushes that thought from his mind. Storm team are elite and secret. They should never reveal their true identities, even to family and loved ones if it can be helped. Tristan's wife for example still has no idea that he is an undercover agent, even after their eight years of marriage.

"I'm the manager of a local bank" Elijah tells his usual lie.

Hayley nods her head.

"What's that like?" She asks, finding it extremely ironic that after robbing a bank she would be having a drink with a banker.

"Tedious but well worth it" he replies, lifting his glass to his lips.

"I bet it is" Hayley says.

Elijah puts his glass back on the table.

"And what is it that you do?" He asks her.

Hayley's heart drops. She was not prepared for this.

"I work on planes" she answers, hating herself for saying it. "I'm an air hostess."

Elijah raises his eyebrows.

"I have to say, I didn't imagine you to be in that line of work" he tells her.

"Neither did I once upon a time" Hayley says, hoping she told a convincing lie.

Hayley downs the last of her drink, needing the alcohol after her mini heart attack. Elijah smirks and copies her, downing the last of his drink as well. Hayley smiles at him and raises an eyebrow.

"Are you challenging me?" She asks.

"Maybe" Elijah says, smirking.

"It's a mistake if you are" Hayley says, jokingly.

"I often turn my mistakes into triumphs" Elijah says.

Hayley leans forwards, her elbows on the table.

"Well, I'm up for it, as long as you're paying" Hayley says, grinning.

Elijah also leans forwards.

"I'm a gentleman, I always pay" he says.

Elijah turns to look over at the barmen. Both are working hard behind the bar, trying to prepare the drinks for other customers as quick as possible, but the second one of the barmen clocks Elijah looking, he drops everything he is doing. The barman makes his way over to Elijah, knowing that Elijah is a priority customer.

"Can I get you something, sir?" The barman asks.

"Twenty shots of Vodka" Hayley speaks for Elijah.

The barman looks at Hayley and then looks back to Elijah, wanting confirmation from Elijah.

Elijah looks at Hayley and she smiles at him. That smile alone is enough to persuade him to buy out the entire bar if it is what she wants. Just for tonight, whatever Hayley wants, he will get it for her.

Elijah looks back up at the barman.

"Twenty shots and two more bourbons" Elijah tells him.

The barman nods, "I'll be right back."

He speed walks back to the bar and Elijah turns back to Hayley.

"What's the plan then?" He asks, smiling at her.

A more evil smile plays on Hayley's lips all of a sudden.

"First one to do ten shots and down the bourbon gets a prize" Hayley states.

"What's the prize?" Elijah asks.

Hayley's eyes glow with desire.

"Whatever you want it to be" she says, licking her lips.

Elijah chuckles.

"Prepare yourself to lose" Elijah says.

"I never lose" Hayley says and winks.

Elijah sits back and smiles at Hayley. She smiles back, biting her bottom lip.

The barman returns with a tray in one hand. He puts the tray down on the table and takes the twenty shots off the tray, putting them into two lines. He then places the bourbons next to the lines of shots and picks the tray back up. He nods to Elijah and then gives Hayley a small smile before he leaves them.

Elijah sighs and pushes two shots in front of Hayley. He then continues to push the shots in front of her until she has a line of ten shots in front of her. He adds the glass of bourbon onto the end of her line and then creates a line of his own. Once he is done, he looks up at Hayley. He can tell Hayley is no beginner at this, but he has to win. He wants his prize.

Hayley looks down at the line in front of her and considers whether she is being over confident about how much alcohol she can consume. She decides that she can give it a go. Especially when it means she could get whatever she wants out of Elijah.

"Whenever you're ready" Elijah says.

Hayley looks up at him and smirks. She wraps her fingers around her first shot glass, mentally preparing herself.

"I hope you can keep up, for your own sake" Hayley says, smirking.

Elijah chuckles and wraps his fingers around his first shot. Hayley begins a countdown to make things fair.

"Three... two.. one."

They both down the first shot at the same time, barely even a seconds difference between them. The second shot is the same, they are both in time with one another. They continue to down their shots at exactly the same time until they both reach the eighth shot and Hayley slips up. The sting of the shot hits her hard and she has to pause for a second. But one second is all it takes for Elijah to make it to his last shot.

Never one to give up, Hayley instantly picks up her remaining shots and downs them, trying to catch up. But by the time she reaches her glass of bourbon, Elijah is done. He puts his last glass down on the table and lets out a deep breath as he feels the alcohol rushing to his brain.

Hayley starts to feel the alcohol herself and she closes her eyes. She opens them again to see Elijah looking at her and smiling. He looks devilishly handsome with his cheeky little smirk on his face. Luckily for Elijah, Hayley is a good sport.

"What's my prize?" Elijah asks.

"What would you like it to be?" Hayley asks, also smirking.

Elijah stares at her for a few seconds. He is having an internal debate on whether to go for the safer option of a kiss good night, or to take her home with him. So far, it looks like he is taking Hayley back to his apartment.

Elijah doesn't say anything. He stands from the booth and fastens one button on his blazer. He then holds his hand out to Hayley. She had already predicted that this would be his selected prize, so she does not hesitate to take his hand. He helps her up and out of the booth before he starts to walk towards the bar. Not quite sure what to do with herself, Hayley follows him, staying close enough that he is aware that she is there, but still walking behind him.

They reach the bar and one of the barmen comes to them straight away. Hayley can tell that Elijah is clearly someone important because she has noticed him getting this kind of attention all night.

"The bill please" Elijah says, pulling his wallet out of his pant pocket.

"I'll get it for you now, sir" the barman says.

He turns around to the till to sort out their bill. Elijah puts his hand on Hayley's lower back and leans in so his mouth is right next to her ear. Feeling his breath on her ear makes her want to shiver, but she stops herself. She knows that he will feel if she shivers because of his hand on her back.

"Mine or yours?" Elijah asks, his tone making him impossible to say no to.

Hayley is about to say hers when she remembers Rebekah. Her friend will have probably passed out on her couch by now. Not her apartment then. She leans up so that her mouth is right against his ear and puts one hand on his chest. She can feel the beat of his heart against her palm.

"Yours" she replies.

Elijah moves back and smirks at her. Hayley bites her lip seductively and looks him up and down. She is glad that he chose this as his prize because this is something that she can see herself enjoying very much.

The barman turns back to them with a long piece of paper in his hand. He places is on the counter and Elijah gives Hayley one last look before he looks at the bill. Hayley follows his gaze down to see a $870 check waiting for him. Her eyes widen and she looks up at Elijah to see not even the slightest bit of shock on his face. It is as if this is nothing new to him.

"Will you be paying for the other participants of your table, Mr Mikaelson?" The barman asks.

"Yes. Send a bottle of bourbon to them from me as well please" Elijah replies, pulling his bank card out of his pocket.

"Of course, sir" the barman says and is gone again.

Hayley's eyes widen even more. If she was a gold-digger then this would definitely be the right man for her.

The barman returns again with a bottle of bourbon in one hand. He places the bottle on the counter along with a second bill, costing another $1130. Hayley has to look away from all of the shock.

Elijah pushes his bank card into the machine on the bar and types in his code. When the machine tells him to he removes his card. He then pulls a small, blank piece of paper from his wallet and a pen from his inside blazer pocket. He writes on the card:

 _There will be punishments if you are not on time for work tomorrow. Electrifying punishments._

 _Enjoy the rest of your night, this one's on me._

 _Elijah_

He then hands the card to the barman.

"Give this to Klaus Morgan with the bottle" Elijah says.

"Yes, sir" the barman says and goes to find Klaus with the bottle and the note.

Elijah turns to Hayley and grabs her hand in his, leading her to the stairs of the club. They walk down them and for a moment Hayley feels like luxury. Multiple sets of eyes fall on her and Elijah and she can only imagine what people must be thinking. They are probably imagining them to be the perfect couple, rich, young and happy. Little do they know the truth.

The security guard at the bottom of the stairs lifts the red rope for them. Elijah leads Hayley straight past him and through the crowds near the dance floor. He opens the door for her and lets her leave first, then quickly catching up with her.

He walks besides her, his hand finding her lower back again. It is unexpected and Hayley almost jumps at the contact, but she controls herself. He pulls his keys from his pocket and unlocks his Audi. Hayley watches the lights flash as the car unlocks and she can not deny that she is very impressed with his car. It is beautiful, fancy and expensive. It suits him.

Elijah opens the door for her and she gives him a small smile as she climbs into the car. He shuts the door and walks around the front of the vehicle. She watches him closely, wondering whether she is making the right decision. It has been awhile since she has agreed to go home with anyone quite as fancy as Elijah Mikaelson. Whether it is the right thing to do, or not, she is definitely not going to back out now.

Hayley pulls her seat belt on as Elijah steps into the car. He shuts the door behind him and pulls his seat belt on. He gives her a quick smile before he starts the car and revs the engine, bringing the car to life and making it purr like a pussy cat. Hayley smiles and shakes her head at him... boys and their toys.

The drive to Elijah's apartment is quiet, but goes by quickly. Elijah has his foot down the entire time, going faster than necessary. He wants to get Hayley back to his as fast as possible. It's been awhile since he has allowed himself to relax and enjoy himself, and he intends to get everything he can out of Hayley.

They arrive at Elijah's apartment building. Hayley is even more impressed; his apartment block looks extremely extravagant, it is definitely not the kind of place Hayley is use to. He drives into a parking lot around the back of the building and parks his car in a parking bay with a yellow number '99' on the wall above it. There is only one space to the right of his car, so Hayley assumes that his apartment is on the top floor.

Elijah stops his car engine and unbuckles his seat belt. He wastes no time, stepping out of his car straight away and shutting the door before making his way around to Hayley's side. Hayley unbuckles herself and is about to open her door when Elijah does it for her. She steps out and he shuts the door. He starts to walk towards a row of four shiny, silver elevators on the far wall, locking his car as he walks.

Hayley follows him to the elevators. He presses the call button and takes a step back from the wall. He looks at Hayley and gives her a small smile. She tries to read what he is thinking but it is impossible.

"You're the first person I have ever invited back to my apartment" Elijah says.

Hayley frowns.

"Never invited friends, or family around?" She asks, curiously.

"I have no family and I'd rather to go to clubs with my friends" he tells her.

Hayley nods, understanding what he means.

"I rarely ever invite anyone over to my apartment. I'm rarely there myself" Hayley admits.

"I don't spend much time here, which is a shame because it is a beautiful apartment. But my work is very demanding" Elijah says.

The elevator arrives and they climb on. Elijah clicks the number '99' on the elevator and the doors close.

"What exactly do you do as a banker?" Hayley asks.

"Attend meetings, meet expectations and deal with figures" he says, having said this line before.

"Do you think you can meet my expectations?" Hayley asks, raising one eyebrow.

Elijah looks at her and smirks.

"I think I'll excel" Elijah says.

Hayley is about to say something else when the doors open on Elijah's floor. She was correct, it is the top floor. There are only four doors on this floor, two to the left of the elevator and two to the right. Elijah turns right off the elevator and goes to the first door which has the number '99' on it in gold. He pulls a key from his pocket and unlocks the door before pushing it open and stepping aside for Hayley to go in first.

She is amazed by what she sees. The door opens up into a large room with marble flooring, a large corner sweet in the far right corner with a large TV on the wall. A grand piano over in the left side of the room and a large, circular glass table in the middle of the room with a bowl on it. She assumes that is where Elijah keeps his keys. Then to the left there is two sliding doors leading through to a kitchen and a dining room. To the right, a corridor with three doors, one on either side and one at the very end of the corridor.

Hayley moves towards the glass table and puts her bag down on it. She looks around the beautiful room one last time before she turns to Elijah, ready to compliment his home. She doesn't get the chance to. The second that Hayley turns around, Elijah's lips are on hers. His hand comes up to cup her cheek, pulling her lips harder against his and she grabs the lapels of his blazer with both hands, pulling him closer to her.

Elijah's other hand finds her waist, gripping her tightly. Hayley runs her tongue against Elijah's bottom lip and then pulls back from him. He follows her, wanting more, but stops when she doesn't kiss him again. They look into each others eyes. Hayley likes the look of lust she sees in his eyes and is makes her want this more.

Hayley pulls his lips back onto hers and grips the lapels of his jacket fiercely. He moves his other hand down to her wait and slips both of his hands around to her lower back. He then moves his hands even lower to cup her backside. He squeezes gently and Hayley moves her body to press completely against his. He squeezes again and she moves her hands to start undoing the buttons on his shirt.

Elijah slips out of his blazer and then puts his hands back onto Hayley's backside, loving how firm it is. Hayley soon grows tired of struggling to undo Elijah's shirt buttons and yanks his shirt open, sending the last few buttons flying. She would have been more careful if she knew he couldn't afford a new one, but he obviously can, so what does it matter. She then rakes her fingers over his chest, feeling the small hair there tickle her fingertips.

Hayley moves her hands up to Elijah's shoulders and grabs his shirt. She pushes it off his shoulders and Elijah yanks it off the rest of the way. He then hoists Hayley up by her thighs and she wraps her legs around his waist, making sure to grind herself against him a few times before she stills in his arms.

Elijah moves his lips to her neck. He kisses down her neck and over her collarbones as he starts to walk towards his room, the one at the far end of the corridor. Hayley wraps her arms around his neck, one hand on the back of his head, pushing his lips against her neck and demanding more. And he provides, biting down at the bottom of her neck. Hayley bites her lip and closes her eyes tighter as she feels Elijah's tongue ghosting over her skin as he bites down.

Elijah pushes his bedroom door open with his foot and walks inside. He kicks the door shut behind him and takes the last few steps before he falls onto his bed, Hayley securely underneath him. He kicks his shoes off and presses his lips against Hayley's as his hands begin to roam. One of his hands runs down Hayley's clothed body until he finds the bottom of her dress just above her knees. He strokes up the outside of her thigh, moving his hand up her skirt to her hip. He then hooks his finger into her underwear and pulls them down, sliding them off and down her legs.

Hayley kicks her heels off, not caring that they are new and should be treated carefully right now. Elijah pulls her underwear off and then comes to settle in between her legs. She moves her hands down his body, dragging her nails down his torso, making him shiver slightly. She stops when she reaches his belt and she starts to undo it slowly. She opens the buckle on the belt and then opens the button on his pants. Finally, she pulls the zip down, grazing over his hardness as she does, making him push against her hand.

Hayley smirks against his lips as she feels him push against her hand. She pushes her hand into his pants and cups his rather large bulge. She then moves her hand into his boxers and wraps her hand around his length, making him moan quietly into her mouth. The feel of him in her hand arouses her and she slowly starts to rub her hand up and down his manhood. Elijah fights off the strong urge to thrust into her hand and continues to explore Hayley's body.

Elijah pulls Hayley's dress up to her waist, uncovering her core. He runs his index finger up the inside of her thigh slowly and then teasingly strokes right next to her core before moving his hand up to her hip again. He runs his palm over her naked hip and then moves his hand back down to her core, cupping it gently, making her gasp. Hayley slowly rubs herself against his hand while she continues to stroke his length, both actions causing wetness to build up inside of her, preparing her for him.

Elijah pulls back from Hayley suddenly and she looks at him in confusion. He grabs the dress and yanks it upwards. Hayley helps him pull her dress over her head and watches as he throws it onto his bedroom floor. He is happy to see that she was not wearing a bra under her dress and he brings their lips together again as one of his hands moves to gently squeeze and caress her breast.

Hayley pushes Elijah's pants down his legs with one of her feet and he kicks them off once they get to his ankles. The sound of his belt buckle hitting the floor echos through the apartment, but neither of them pay any attention to it. Elijah lowers his groin to Hayley's and grinds his still clothed hardness against her core. Hayley pulls her mouth away from his and moans as Elijah continues to rub himself against her core. Elijah lowers his lips to her neck again, kissing up and down her neck.

Elijah drags his boxers down his legs and throws them somewhere off the bed. He then re-positions himself so that his now naked and hard length is poking at Hayley's core. She groans upon feeling him so close to her entrance and widens her legs to pull him closer to her. She wraps her arms around his neck and Elijah brings his lips back up to Hayley's, kissing her fiercely. Hayley rubs her core against the sensitive tip of Elijah's shaft and she moans as she feels a great pleasure wash over her, followed by more wetness starting to build up inside of her.

Hayley brings her ankles to the back of Elijah's thighs and pushes on them, letting him know that she is ready for him. He doesn't need telling twice. Elijah rubs his tip against Hayley's core one last time before he pushes into her, not stopping until he can go no deeper into her. She squeezes her walls around him and his eyes almost roll into the back of his head as an immense pleasure ripples through his body. He isn't going to last long if she keeps doing that.

Elijah pulls out until only the tip of his length is still inside of her and them he pushes himself back into her until he can go no further. He repeats this action again, picking up the pace each time he re-enters her. Hayley tenses her walls around him as he thrust into her and moans into his mouth when he rubs along her G-spot. Elijah grabs Hayley's hair, fisting it in his hand as his thrusts become faster and more powerful.

Hayley wraps her legs around the back of Elijah's thighs, pushing him back into her every time he pulls out. She drags her nails down his back and stops when she reaches his backside, digging her nails into his bottom and pushing him into her harder. Elijah moans as she pulls him into her roughly and he moans again when she tenses her walls around him again. He knows that he is going to climax any minute now, but he has expectations to meet.

Elijah suddenly slows his thrusts right down and begins to grind the tip of his manhood inside of Hayley, rubbing himself right over her G-spot. Hayley instantly rips her mouth away from Elijah's and lets out a loud moan. She can feel the release building in her groin and in her stomach and she pushes against his length every time he enters her. He moves his mouth down her neck, licking with the very tip of his tongue. He then licks back up and bites her earlobe gently before he brings his forehead to rest against hers. They both have their eyes slammed shut and they are both breathing extremely heavily.

Elijah rubs against her insides one last time and then starts to pick up his pace again. He grinds inside of her quickly, feeling his own release building up even more every time she clenches her walls around him. Hayley tenses her walls around him and he pushes into her as fast as he can, rubbing her G-spot repeatedly. Hayley's small, quiet moans, become louder more frequent moans and Elijah pushes into her one last time before she comes undone.

She bites into his neck hard and moans as she feels her orgasm hit her hard. Elijah continues to thrust into her, helping her ride her orgasm out and helping him reach his own. He prepares to pull out, but Hayley tenses her walls around him and he can't do it. He reaches his release and continues to thrust into her, lowering his forehead to her shoulder and groaning as he ejaculates into her.

Once he has emptied his load, Elijah pulls out of Hayley and moves to lie next to her. She is lay on one of his arms and she has one of her legs tangled in between his. They are a perfect mess.

"You definitely met all expectations" Hayley says, out of breath.

Elijah laughs.

"Only met them?" He asks, smiling and panting.

"Okay, you excelled" Hayley says, laughing.


	5. Chapter 5

Elijah hears a gun shot and jumps up. He pants ferociously as he looks around the room for the source of the sound, noticing that he is alone in his bed. Once he is sure that the noise was just in his head and was just part of his nightmare, he lets his head fall back onto the soft pillow behind him. He takes a deep breath to calm his breathing down and rubs his hands over his face, trying to rub the nightmare that has haunted him for years from his mind.

He turns to look at the clock on his bedside table to see it reads 8:06am. He lets out a loud sigh and climbs out of his bed, the sheets moving slightly as he does to reveal a small square piece of paper that had been hidden by the sheets. Elijah frowns slightly as he picks up the piece of paper. He inspects it before opening it to it's full size to see a hand written note.

 _Thank you for a good night. Unfortunately, I'm not known for sticking around for breakfast._

 _Feel free to approach me for round two if you ever see me around._

 _Hayley_

Elijah smirks at the note. He throws the note back onto his bed and walks into his en-suite bathroom. He turns to the bathroom counter to the right which has a mirror covering the wall above it. He opens one of the counter drawers and pulls out a can of deodorant, a comb and a bottle of Creed Aventus. He picks up the comb first, brushing his hair into place, shaping it to perfection. He then puts the comb back in the drawer and picks up the deodorant can. He sprays under both armpits and then drops that back into the drawer.

Elijah then exits his en-suite and opens the door next to the bathroom door. The door leads him into his walk-in-wardrobe where all of his expensive suits are waiting to see who will be chosen today. He walks to the set of drawers at the far end of the wardrobe and pulls on one of the handles. He pulls out a pair of black boxers and pulls them on before opening the next drawer and pulling out matching pair of black socks. He shuts both drawers and then balances on one leg as he pulls his left sock on. He then repeats the balancing act to pull on his right sock.

He then turns to look at the row of suits hung up on the left wall. He picks a navy blue one, three piece before turning to look at the opposite wall which is displaying his shirts. He picks a plain white one and leaves his walk-in-wardrobe and goes back into the bathroom. He hangs the suit and shirt up on the top of his shower and turns to look in the mirror once again. He grabs his tooth paste and his brush, quickly brushing his teeth and running the brush under the water from the tap before putting it back into it's holder.

After wetting and drying his face with the water from his sink, Elijah then picks up the expensive bottle of men's perfume. He sprays his neck both sides and then sprays his chest twice. He then sprays both of his wrists and puts the bottle back on the side before turning to pull his suit pants down. He pulls them on and then pulls the white shirt from it's hanger. He pulls the shirt on and fastens the buttons at the bottom of the sleeves before fastening the rest of the buttons on the shirt, leaving the top one open. He tucks the shirt in and picks up the bottle of Creed again, spraying his shirt three times.

Elijah then pulls on the navy blue waistcoat. He fastens the five buttons on the waistcoat and then pulls the blazer from the hanger. He pulls it on and picks up the spray one last time to spray the blazer. He sprays his neck one last time as well for no real reason accept that he likes the feel of the dampness on his neck. He puts the bottle back into the drawer and closes it as he checks himself in the mirror. He looks ready for another long day.

Elijah walks from his room to his living room and then into his kitchen. He checks the kitchen clock to see it reading 8:31am and he decides against making a cup of coffee. He can have one at work anyway. He leaves the kitchen and walks back into his living room to collect his belongings off the glass table in the centre of the room.

He plucks his car keys and his phone out of the bowl on the table. His phone lights up when he touches it and he presses his finger to the button to unlock it. He pushes his car keys into his pant pocket as he scrolls through his e-mails. Nothing too interesting, just the usual stuff that can wait until later. He locks his phone and drops it into the inside pocket in his blazer.

A loud knock at the door echos through the apartment and Elijah frowns slightly to himself. He doesn't usually receive any visitors this early in the morning. A part of him thinks it could be Hayley. Maybe she left something behind and has come back to collect it. He doubts it because he would have noticed anything she might have left behind, but he can't help but hope for a second encounter with the beautiful brunette.

Elijah moves to the door and opens it to see Klaus stood there.

"Can I hitch a ride with you?" Klaus asks.

Elijah gives him a questioning look, silently asking for an explanation why.

"I'm still way too over the limit to be driving" Klaus explains.

Elijah sighs and rolls his eyes. "At least you aren't going to be late."

"I would have asked Freya for a lift, but you live closer so" Klaus says as Elijah steps out of the apartment. He shuts the door and locks it before they make the short walk to the elevator.

Elijah clicks the call button for the elevator and pushes his hands into his pant pockets. Klaus doesn't look good at all. In fact, he looks like he could throw up at any second and that makes Elijah want to tell him to walk to work; there is no way he is going to let Klaus be sick in his car. He doesn't comment though.

The elevator arrives and they both step on. Elijah presses for the underground parking lot and the doors close.

Elijah feels irritated and he can't understand why. He has done nothing different to his usual routine, apart from being joined by Klaus, but that isn't really a problem as long as he continues to hold that puke in. He comes to the conclusion that it must be the fact that he woke up alone that has got him slightly irritated. At first he didn't think that he was that bothered by Hayley's quick exit, but now that he has the chance to think about it, he thinks he would have preferred her to stay.

His morning could have started much better if Hayley had of stayed. He isn't sure if he is looking for a relationship anymore, he stopped truly looking for anything like that the day he became part of the Storm Team. His work is far too demanding to allow him to have a relationship. Freya and Keelin can only just about manage so Elijah definitely wouldn't. But he thinks it might be nice to spend some time with someone who is not a work colleague. Even if they just end up using each other for a hook up every now and again, Elijah thinks that he might enjoy her company.

"Where did you get to last night then?" Klaus asks, filling the silence.

Elijah smirks to himself. He has no intention in telling Klaus the truth.

"No where particularly interesting."

"How about you let me be the judge of that" Klaus says, humorously.

"How was your night?" Elijah asks, shifting the conversation.

Klaus rolls his eyes, he knows what Elijah is trying to do. He will let it slide for now, but he reminds himself silently to ask his boss what exactly happened last night again later.

"Great. Thanks for that extra bottle of bourbon by the way, it really helped get those girls where I wanted them" Klaus says, smirking.

Elijah smirks and shakes his head at Klaus.

"I was hoping those innocent girls would be able to escape your grasp" Elijah jokes.

"There was nothing innocent about that lot" Klaus says, chuckling.

Elijah also chuckles.

The elevator doors open into the parking lot and they step out, Klaus walking just slightly behind Elijah. Pulling the car keys from his pocket, Elijah unlocks his car and walks around to the driver's side. Elijah opens the door and climbs into the car, Klaus climbing in next to him in the passengers side. They both pull their doors shut and put their seat belts on as Elijah starts the car.

"Is Marcel planning on showing up for work?" Elijah asks.

"Depends how much of a work out he got last night" Klaus says, smirking.

Elijah shakes his head.

"Do you and him always have to behave like promiscuous teenage boys?" Elijah asks jokingly as he starts the car.

Klaus laughs.

"Only on our good days" he replies.

Elijah pulls out of the underground parking lot and into the main road.

"Should I call him?" Klaus asks, pulling his phone from his pocket.

"No. If he is late, then he will just have to suffer through the punishment he will receive" Elijah says.

"I didn't think you were being serious about the punishment thing" Klaus admits.

Elijah smirks, "well, we have to try out the new tasers somehow."

Klaus chuckles.

"I am suddenly extremely glad that I chose not to call in sick" he comments.

A phone call coming from Tristan suddenly appears on the dashboard of Elijah's car. Elijah clicks the green button on the dashboard to accept the call and Tristan's voice fills the car.

"How close are you to base, sir?"

"Very close. Why?" Elijah asks.

"We've found something" Tristan says.

Elijah and Klaus share a quick look of excitement. They should know not to get their hopes up by now, after all of this time chasing the thieves and coming up empty, but they can't help it. They are ready for this to be over.

"I'll be right in" Elijah replies.

"See you shortly, sir" Tristan says before hanging up.

Klaus rubs his hands together and leans forwards in anticipation.

"This had better be good" Klaus says.

"We can only hope" Elijah says.

He stops at the door to the base's parking lot and waits for it to open. It opens and he drives into the parking lot, driving straight into his spot. He stops the car engine and unbuckles his seat belt. He opens his car door and steps out of the car, Klaus also stepping out of the car. Elijah waits until he hears Klaus' door shut and then locks the car with the keys and pushes them back into his pant pocket.

They walk quickly towards the main doors, both of them anxious to get inside as fast as they can. Elijah opens the door wide enough so Klaus can slip in behind him and they both take the stairs two at a time. Elijah pushes the door at the top of the stairs open and walks straight down the corridor into the main office, Klaus following closely. They walk around Marcel and Freya's desks to reach Tristan who is sat on the couch in the corner of the office on a tablet.

Tristan stands as they come closer, his eyes still focused on the tablet. Elijah and Klaus come to a stop in front of him.

"Well?" Klaus asks when Tristan says nothing.

Tristan clicks on something and then flips the tablet around to show them. On the tablet is a picture of a footprint on the floor of the bank right near the safe. There is also another picture of the same footprint transferred onto a piece of clingfilm.

Elijah smiles as he looks at the pictures.

"We got a footprint" Tristan says, smiling at the sight of his boss smiling.

"What size foot?" Klaus asks.

"Size 9" Tristan confirms. "We are working on analysing what type of shoe it is right now as we speak."

Elijah looks past the tablet at Tristan.

"Anything else?" He asks, still smirking.

"There is actually" Tristan says.

He walks past them and leads them back into the corridor. They follow him in to the room next door which is one of their labs. He leads them to one of the lab tables where there is a small container and several books. Tristan pulls a stool from under a table and jumps on it as he sits at the table with the container on it.

Elijah and Klaus come to stand behind him, both looking over one of his shoulders. Tristan opens the container to reveal a tiny, green thing. He picks a pair of tweezers up from on the table and picks up the green thing with them. He then slides over a lamp that and a microscope. He puts the green thing under the microscope and shines the light from the lamp onto the object.

Tristan gestures for them to take a look.

Elijah goes first. He closes one eye and looks at the green object under the microscope with his other eye. He doesn't know how to react to what Tristan is showing them because he has no idea what the green thing is. He continues to look at it, adjusting the microscope slightly so it zooms in.

"What is it?" Elijah finally asks.

"A plant" Tristan answers.

"What kind?" Elijah asks, moving back from the microscope.

"Not entirely sure yet, but it looks like part of a stem off a flower" Tristan says.

"How is a flower going to help the case?" Klaus asks as he looks into the microscope.

Tristan clears his throat.

"This could help it in a number of ways actually. First of all, it could tell us that one of our thieves has a job as a gardener. Or maybe their hide out has this type of flower surrounding it. It could be a number of things."

"The gardener thing seems more likely" Klaus says.

"I've narrowed it down quite a bit, but I've still got some work to do before we get the answers we want" Tristan tells them.

"Between this and the footprint we might be on to something" Klaus says, pulling back from the microscope.

Elijah looks down at his watch. He has a meeting with The Company's boss in twenty minutes across town.

"Let me know as soon as you know what plant this is. Also, fill me in the second you get any information on that footprint" Elijah says before making for the door.

Elijah is suddenly feeling very positive about his meeting with Vincent Griffin. He has some good leads to inform him about and with any luck, once they find the first guy, they will find the rest of the thieves lurking nearby.

Meanwhile far away from Elijah, Hayley is slipping into her apartment as quietly as possible. She found it all too easy to pick the lock of her apartment door after last weeks 'how to pick a lock 101' lesson with Jackson and Oliver. She would have just used her key if she had it. She gave it to Rebekah rather regretfully last night before she was escorted upstairs to meet Mr Mikaelson. And what a meeting it had been.

Hayley had not expected it to go that far to be honest, she didn't plan to sleep with him. That was the last thing she planned to happen, but after a few drinks she knew what she wanted. Whether she planned it, or not, she is very happy that it happened and she hopes that he enjoyed waking up to her little note.

Hayley looks around her living room for Rebekah, but she doesn't see her. She pushes open the kitchen door to her left and doesn't see her in there either. She continues to walk further into her apartment, going through her living room and turning right down the small corridor to her bedroom. She pushes the door open but doesn't see Rebekah anywhere in there. She then goes to the other end of the corridor where the spare room and the bathroom are. She doesn't check the spare room, she instantly goes to the bathroom and pushes the door open to see Rebekah lay on the floor.

Fighting back a laugh, Hayley crouches next to her friend who is in the fetal position on the floor. She puts her hand on Rebekah's thigh and a groan comes from the blonde. Slowly, Rebekah pushes the hair away from her face and opens her eyes to look up at Hayley. She looks very hungover.

"About time you got in" the blonde says.

Hayley smiles and stands up. She opens the cupboard above her sink and pulls out an empty glass. She fills the glass with cold water and then turns the tap off. She pushes the lid of the toilet down and sits on it before holding the glass out to Rebekah, who is struggling to sit up.

Rebekah takes the glass and takes a sip of the water.

"How are you this hungover?" Hayley asks, trying not to show her amusement.

"How are you not?" Rebekah returns.

Hayley shrugs.

"Did the mysterious man requesting your presences not pamper you with drinks?" Rebekah asks, trying to smile.

"He pampered me with more than drinks" Hayley says.

Rebekah's eyes light up and she nearly spits out her mouthful of water. She puts the glass on the floor next to her and smiles at Hayley excitedly, clasping her hands together.

"Tell me everything" the blonde demands.

Hayley laughs.

"Well, I went upstairs and met him, and he was like James Bond." Rebekah's eyes light up even more. "He had a fancy suit on, he had more money sitting in his bank account than I have hidden under my bed, and he was such a sweet talker-"

"Alright, get to the interesting bit" Rebekah interrupts and Hayley chuckles.

"So, we went back to his place in his brand new Audi. Big apartment, something like ten rooms and a piano with fancy black marble flooring, and giant Queen size bed-"

"A queen size bed waiting for you" Rebekah corrects her.

Hayley grins, "it was definitely waiting for me, I can tell you that."

"Talk me through it. Did he shag you on his piano before dragging you to the bedroom?" Rebekah asks extremely excited.

Hayley laughs but shakes her head to her friend's disappointment.

"He had this massive living room, like three times the size of my place, anyway we started there. Did a bit of undressing and then he picked me up-"

"No!" Rebekah says, shocked in a good way.

"Hell yeah" Hayley says. "He carried me to his room and well, you know how the rest goes."

Rebekah squeals and smacks Hayley on her knees excitedly. Hayley laughs as she watches Rebekah express her excitement. She loves seeing Rebekah like this.

"I can't bloody believe it, you lucky bitch!" Rebekah says. "Was he good?"

Hayley bites her lip, looks up and nods.

"Good isn't even the word" she confirms.

"God, I wish I could find me some of this rich man sex, it sounds great" Rebekah says.

"I wanted to do him in his fancy car" Hayley admits and they both laugh.

"Now, that would make for an interesting story" the blonde says.

Rebekah stands up, swaying slightly.

"Did he say anything to you this morning?"

Hayley smirks at her friend.

"Come on, Rebekah, you should know I don't stick around the morning after" she says.

Rebekah chuckles.

"I would have wanted another round" Rebekah says.

"I left him a note basically saying that" Hayley says. "I just told him to come over to me if he ever sees me again."

Rebekah laughs, "you naughty girl! I like it. Now we just have to make sure you run into him again."

Hayley smiles and shakes her head.

"If it happens, it happens. Let's leave it up to fate to decide" she says.

"Why let fate decide when you can let Rebekah decide?" Rebekah asks.

Hayley laughs and rolls her eyes.

Hayley's phone suddenly starts ringing and she pulls her bag off her shoulder to root through it. She finds her phone right at the bottom of her bag. She pulls it out and sees Jackson's name flashing across the screen. She looks up at Rebekah and grits her teeth. She knows that he will be calling to ask if she wants to meet up. That way he can try and find out all about her night out and this is one night out she does not want to tell him about.

"If you don't answer, I will" Rebekah says.

Hayley sighs and slides to answer the call. She presses the phone to her ear.

"Hey, Jack."

"Hey, how was your night?" Jackson says down the phone.

"Really good, thanks."

"That's good. So, I know you might be a bit hungover, but I was wondering if you wanted to grab a coffee?" He asks.

Hayley bites her bottom lip and looks at Rebekah.

"Yeah sure. I'll just get ready and then I'll meet you."

"Great. Meet me at Mary's shop."

She can hear the smile in his voice.

"Okay. I'll give you a call when I'm on my way."

"Great, see you soon."

"See you" Hayley says before ending the call.

Rebekah gives her a questioning look, wanting to know what she is doing.

"I'm meeting Jackson for coffee" Hayley tells Rebekah.

"Do you think he will ever fall out of love with you? Don't get me wrong, it's cute and all, but there is only so long you can love someone who doesn't love you back" Rebekah says.

Hayley shrugs.

"I have a feeling he won't be dropping his feelings anytime soon" Hayley says.

Rebekah picks her glass of water up.

"I'll let you get ready anyways. I'll wait in the living room" the blonde says.

"You can come with me if you want?" Hayley asks.

"Nope. He is all yours" Rebekah says as she walks out of the bathroom.

Hayley shuts the bathroom door and starts to strip herself of her clothes. She suddenly gets a whiff of something, a strong smell roaming around. She picks her dress up and sniffs it, but can't smell anything on her dress. She drops her dress again and smells her chest. That is where the smell is strongest. She has no idea what the smell could be, but then her mind refreshes for her and she smiles as she steps into the shower. She smells like Elijah.


	6. Chapter 6

Elijah watches as Marcel jogs in a zig-zag pattern across the street as the lights turn green once again and the cars start to fly towards him. Elijah has been waiting for him to turn up for much longer than what he would have liked and he will be sure to mention it to him once he gets into the car. But first, he has to make a call.

Elijah pulls his phone from his pant pocket and unlocks it. He goes into his contacts and clicks on Tristan's name before clicking the green call button and putting his phone back into his pocket. The ringing echos through the car, Tristan's name displaying on the dashboard as he waits for him to answer.

"Sir?" He answers a few seconds later.

"Tristan, I'm currently outside the address you sent me, give me the plant details and me and Gerard will get this show on the road" Elijah says.

"So, the plant is a Asclepias viridiflora, also known as Green Milkweed, and it happens to be a threatened species here in New York, so narrowing it down wasn't too hard. The shop that I sent you the details to has specialists who can tell you all about this particular species. So, if you don't mind me saying sir, I suggest you go in, find the specialist and ask as many questions as you can."

"I have a feeling this won't take long" Elijah says, more to himself than Tristan.

He watches Marcel narrowly avoid being ran over and he has to stop himself from smirking.

"Well, with the plant being so unique I'm guessing they will only have one, or two specialists, which narrows down your suspects" Tristan replies, his fast fingers typing on his computer sounding down the phone in the background.

"I'll have Marcel plant a virus in their computer if they have one" Elijah tells him, watching Marcel finally reach the car.

"Good idea, sir. Let me know when it's done and I'll hack straight into it."

Marcel opens the door and slips into the passenger seat.

"Will do" Elijah replies to Tristan before ending the call with the button on his steering wheel.

After a few seconds of silence, Elijah turns to Marcel. He knows what is coming next and all he can hope is that his telling off is not as harsh as it usually is.

"Gerard, I see you did in fact make it into work today" Elijah says.

"Yeah sorry, sir... long night" Marcel says and Elijah rolls his eyes.

"If it happens again their will be consequences" Elijah promises and Marcel nods.

"Won't happen again. Sorry, sir."

Elijah nods and turns to look at the shop just down the road from where they are parked. 'Mary's flower shop' the sign reads. It is definitely a family business, he can tell that just from looking at the small shop. It looks nice enough, but it is far from glamorous. It is the kind of place that only those who live nearby, or who are willing to come miles for what they want would know about. That makes it the perfect hide out.

"I doubt we'll find much here, sir... it's just a little plant shop" Marcel says, also looking at the shop.

Elijah tries to avoid getting annoyed by Marcel's lack of enthusiasm on top of his lateness, but he is failing.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Gerard."

"Sorry, sir. What's the plan anyways?" Marcel asks, unfazed by the second telling off he has just received.

"We are going to enter together and then split up. I'll distract the staff, you find a computer and download all of the content you can find. Also, Martel wants you to plant a virus on the computer. If it is just a little plant shop as you said, then this should be a simple task" Elijah says.

"Sounds simple enough" Marcel says.

"I guess we are about to find out" Elijah says.

They climb out of the car at the same time and Marcel waits as Elijah comes around the front of the car to walk beside him on the pavement. Elijah fastens the top button on his blazer and puts his left hand into his pant pocket. The quicker they get this over with, the quicker they can find out the link between this shop and their case.

Elijah steps forwards as they reach the shop door and pushes it open for Marcel to enter first. A bell rings as the door reaches a certain point. Marcel walks on in, stopping at the first table displaying a variety of Roses on it and tucking both of his hands into his pant pockets as he gets into role. None of them are exactly dressed for the role of two guys just here to look at some plants, so they will have to use their charm to deceive and get what they want.

Shutting the door behind him, Elijah follows Marcel's lead, also trying to get into role. He comes to stand next to Marcel and leans over his shoulder slightly to look down at the Roses. He dislikes them. He finds them far too cliche.

Elijah looks around the shop and sees a doorway past the till leading into the next section of the shop. It probably also leads to an outside area with a different range of plants. He also sees a door to the right behind the till that probably leads into their staff-room, which is where any evidence would most likely be.

Elijah leans in closer to Marcel while continuing to look towards the till, making sure no one walks in on them.

"Put the virus on the computer at the till and then move through to find the staff-room. If you find any other computers, put the virus on them too. Find anything interesting, take it" Elijah says, keeping his voice low.

"Got it" Marcel says, nodding as he checks the price of one of the potted Roses.

"If you finish before I'm back here, come and find me, or wait by the car" Elijah tells him.

Marcel nods again and moves slightly to look at a different bunch of Roses.

Elijah trusts Marcel with the task and leaves him, making his way to the doorway. He walks through it into the next room and surely enough, on the other side of this room there is a door leading outside. There is also a door to the right of the room which he assumes leads to more plants, but his main aim right now is to check their garden. He walks slowly through the room, pretending to take interest in certain flowers and plants as he walks past them. He even stops to check the price of a yellow flower at one point, just to try and make his role seem more realistic.

He reaches the door to the garden and is just about to push it open when he hears footsteps behind him. He turns quickly and sees a short, older woman walking towards him. He assumes that she has just come from the other room and not the entrance; he would of heard her talking to Marcel if she had of come from the entrance.

The woman has blonde, short hair and she is wearing a maroon apron over her dark blue jeans, and her light blue and white flannel shirt. She looks like she is more of an out-of-towner. She is smiling at him, so he assumes that she means no harm and gives her a small smile back.

"Hi there. Can I help you with anything?" The woman asks and from her accent, Elijah can confirm that she is indeed from out of town.

Elijah notices that her apron has a name badge on it reading 'Mary'. So, she must be the owner.

"Actually there is" Elijah replies as the woman comes to stand only a few feet away from him. "I'm looking for Green Milkweed."

"Green Milkweed. Yep, we sell it. Here, I'll take you to it" Mary says, smiling again.

Elijah moves out of her way as she leads him out of the door and into the garden. It isn't a large garden, but the winding path that goes around it sure has enough plants shooting onto it and over it from both sides. The woman leads him to the back of the garden and then holds her hand out, gesturing to the plant in front of her. Elijah comes to stand next to her.

"Here it is" she says, sounding proud.

"Perfect" Elijah says, looking down at the plants. After a brief pause he then asks, "is there any chance you could tell me a few things about this particular plant?"

"Trust be told, I'm not the the expert on this particular plant, my grandson is. So, you wait here and I'll just go and grab him for you" Mary says.

Elijah nods and gives her another small smile.

The woman walks back the way they came and Elijah looks down at the ugly plant. He isn't surprised that it is a threatened species, he wouldn't want that growing in his garden either. However, everyone has their own tastes and he can respect that.

He doesn't think that Mary is involved in his case, but the grandson could be a good starting point for suspects. The foot print looked too big for the old woman's shoes anyway, which doesn't take her off the possible suspects list, but it does give Elijah a good reason to wait before digging into her background.

After a few minutes, Elijah hears footsteps behind him once again and this time turns around to see a young man coming towards him. The man has the same coloured apron on and is dressed pretty much identical to his grandmother. Dark blue jeans and a flannel shirt, however, his is red and grey. This name badge reads 'Jackson'.

He smiles as Elijah's eyes meet his and Elijah gives him a small smile in return.

"Is this your first time with Green Milkweed?" Jackson asks as he comes to stand next to Elijah.

"Yes. A friend recommended it" he lies.

"Well, your friend's got good taste. These happen to be some of my favourite plants" He tells Elijah, smiling still.

"I can see why. They're beautiful" Elijah lies again.

The specialist puts his hands on his hips and looks down at the plants.

"How about I start with a bit of history about the plant and then tell you about taking care of it?" He asks, moving his eyes back to Elijah once he has done speaking.

"Sure" Elijah replies.

"Great." Jackson smiles again. He is obviously very invested in either this job, or this particular plant.

"So, Asclepias viridiflora, or as it's better know, Green Milkweed, is known for usually being found in the Eastern and Central parts of the United States and the more Southern parts of Canada. It's listed as endangered in Florida and Connecticut and it is currently listed as threatened here in New York, but that could change at any moment, so obviously it is massively important to take care of plants like these."

Elijah is impressed by the man's passion, even though he has chosen something incredibly boring to be so passionate about.

"And what time of year would you say they reach their peak?" Elijah asks, unsure how long he can pretend to be interested in this for.

"They like the heat, so usually they will bloom anytime between June and September. They don't mind having dry soil and they only need small amounts of water to survive. They love to be directly in the sunlight too, so put them in a sunny spot in your garden to really get the most out of them."

"That will work well considering I won't be home too often to water it" Elijah comments.

"However, I do have to warn you that this plant can be somewhat toxic. The sap can sometimes cause skin irritation to certain people. Children are especially vulnerable to it, so if you've got kids running around the garden be sure to keep an eye out" he says.

Elijah opens his mouth to speak, but doesn't get the chance as he feels an arm wrap around his shoulder and a body press into his side. He turns his head to see Marcel smiling at him, his other hand on his hip.

"Yeah, kids won't be an issue" Marcel answers for him. "We don't have any... yet."

Elijah has never wanted to hit someone so much in his life.

The plant specialist smiles at them, folding his arms across his chest. Elijah notices a slight irritation around his wrists and assumes that he got it from handling the plants. He stores the information in the back of his mind for in case it could come in handy at some point in their case.

He looks back to Elijah, still smiling.

"Anything else you want to know?"

Elijah opens his mouth and looks down at the plant. He can't take any more plant talk and now that he knows Marcel has completed his part of the mission, he doesn't have to.

Elijah looks up at the man again. "No, thank you. I think I've learnt enough for one day."

"Want me to bag a few up for you?" He asks, meaning the plants.

Elijah is about to give a firm no when he remembers that a sample of the plant could help their case.

"Yes, we'll take two" he answers.

Jackson's smile only grows upon hearing this.

"Great. I'll bag them and bring them over to the counter" he tells them.

Elijah nods and starts to walk back towards the entrance, slipping out from under Marcel's arm. Marcel pats the specialist on the shoulder before he follows Elijah through the door and back into the shop. Elijah slows down so Marcel can walk besides him once the door to the garden is shut.

"Did you complete your task?" Elijah asks, quietly.

"Yeah. Planted viruses on three computers and found a few files that might come in handy" he tells his boss.

"Good work, Gerard" Elijah says.

They walk into the entrance room and see Mary stood behind the till. She looks up from her notepad and smiles at them as they come to stand across from her.

"Did he help you out?" She asks, meaning Jackson.

"Yes, thank you" Elijah replies, giving her a small smile.

"He sure does know his plants" she says, sounding proud once again.

"I'm glad someone does, cause this guy here knows nothing" Marcel says, pointing towards Elijah.

The woman laughs at him and Elijah forces a smile, because killing Marcel right here and now will not only blow his cover, but it will also result in a lot of questions being asked. The wrong kind of questions that a lot of people would have to die for.

"Don't worry, you'll catch up. We all have to start somewhere" she says, before looking down at her notepad again.

Elijah rolls his eyes.

Jackson walks through the door carrying two brown paper bags in one arm. He smiles at them before placing the bags down on the till and walking around the woman to reach the computer. He hits a few keys on the keyboard and then types something before he looks up at them and smiles once again.

"That'll be $14 please" he says.

Elijah pulls his wallet out from the inside pocket of his jacket and opens it. He pulls out a crisp twenty dollar bill and hands it over to him.

"Keep the change" he says as Jackson opens the till.

"You sure?" He asks, hesitating with the till open.

"Positive" Elijah says and turns to leave.

Marcel grabs the plants and smiles to Jackson and his grandmother.

"Thanks guys" he says before he also turns around.

Elijah opens the door and waits for Marcel.

"Thanks" Jackson calls after them.

The door shuts as they leave the store and Jackson turns to look at his grandmother. She is still looking down at her notepad as she tries to work out their total sales from last week. He would help her, but he isn't the brightest spark when it comes to maths.

"Didn't think they were the gay type" Mary says.

Jackson laughs at her and puts his hand on her back for a few seconds. He then turns around and walks through the door that leads to the locker room, the staff-room and the storage room. He walks past the storage room and goes into the second door on the right which leads to the staff-room. He smiles as he walks in.

"Sorry about that, we had some guys asking about some plants" he says.

Hayley smiles back at him from her seat at the lunch table.

"It's fine. Now, I think you mentioned coffee?" She says, smirking.

Jackson's smile widens.

"I'll wash my hands and then we'll get going" he tells her. "I know this great new place that gives free donuts with any cup of coffee as long as you order before twelve."

"I also think I remember you saying that you were paying" Hayley says, teasing him.

Jackson chuckles and moves towards the sink in the small kitchen area. He turns the tap on and puts his hands under the semi hot water.

"Don't push it" he says, jokingly.

Hayley smiles and is about to reply when she feels her phone vibrate in her coat pocket. She pulls her phone out and checks it to see a message displaying on her screen from Dexter. She bites her lip nervously as she reads it.

' _We need to talk, Hayley_.'

No kiss. He always puts a kiss, even when he is super pissed at her.

Surely this has to be about her hesitation on their last heist. She knows that she took too long to leave the bank and she knows that she annoyed him by doing so, but he hadn't brought it up. Usually he brings things like that up straight away in front of everyone as a warning to them all.

She should have known better than to think that she was off the hook. No one is ever off the hook when it comes to Dexter.

Hayley sighs and puts her phone on silent before pushing it back in to her pocket. She isn't going to let Dexter ruin her morning. She had a brilliant night and she is determined to have a great, Dexter-free morning. She will drop by and see him later and make a lousy attempt at explaining herself.

Jackson turns to look at her, drying his hand with a cloth off the counter by the sink.

"You okay?" He asks.

Hayley looks up at him and quickly puts on a smile. She doesn't want to put a downer on Jackson's mood and she doesn't want to have to discuss why she thinks Dexter is mad at her. Knowing Jackson, he will just shrug and say it's all part of the job, that she shouldn't let the guilt eat away at her.

For someone so understanding, sometimes he can be really hard to talk to.

"I'm good" she replies.

Hayley stands up and pulls her top down where it had ridden up slightly at the back.

"Let's go" she says as she moves towards the door.


End file.
